15 February 1915 - Membland
The West Hartlepool registered cargo ship the Membland left Hull for the Tyne in ballast with twenty-five people on board. She was due to take on coal for export to the Buenos Aires Gas Company in Argentina. Two of the crew’s wives were on board, including a five month old baby. The Membland was last seen off Spurn Lighthouse. It was thought that the Membland did not pass Flamborough. On 11 April William Wright found a piece of wood on the shore at Hornsea. Written on it in indelible pencil were the words ‘Steamship Membland torpedoed, engine room, port side. Goodbye dear’. However, at the inquest into the loss of the vessel extreme doubt was cast upon this piece of evidence as the writing was on a piece of wood the had been polished smooth by the action of the sea. Any writing placed on the wood would have been obliterated by the action of the tide on the wood. As a heavy north-east gale had been blowing in days prior to the loss, and the fact that no enemy vessel had been reported in the area, it was concluded that the most likely reason for the disappearance of the Membland was striking of a mine cast adrift of its mooring cable by the gale. However, she was presumed at the time to have been another victim of the Kolberg’s minefield.
Crew lost: Membland, West Hartlepool
J Brotchie, master, South Shields
Edward Husdell, first mate, Hartlepool
P Ware, second mate, Hull
C Grant, steward, Ingleton, Yorkshire
C Johnson, boatswain, Hull
A Richards, AB, Hull
W McDermott, seaman, Hull
Wemer Parlon, seaman, Hull
N Johnson, seaman, Hull
T Freer, AB, Hull
Charles Berge, seaman, Hull
L J Ellis, OS, Hull
W Guthrie, first engineer, Ardrossan
R Mather, donkeyman, Hull
E Anderson, fireman, Hull
H Taylor, fireman, Hull
John Jansson, fireman, Hull
Alex Smith, fireman, Hull
John Finon, fireman, Hull
Richard Tattersall, fireman, Hull
William Lewis, engineer assistant, Langside
R E Page, North Sea pilot, Hull
Mrs Guthrie, wife of chief engineer
Mrs Husdell, wife of first mate
Child of Edward and Mrs Husdell
